The present invention relates to a process for the creation of validation rules with which a validation module can validate configuration data which can be used as operating parameters for telecommunications systems, and to a generating module therefor, a server therefor, and a control module and storage means therefor.
Telecommunications systems, for example exchanges, access systems, cross-connects, network management systems, computer networks etc., are generally adapted by configuration data, selectable within specific limits, to special requirements governed by the particular area of use. In accordance with the specifications of such configuration data, control software contained in a telecommunications system can control the telecommunications system in the specified manner in the particular area of use. In a modern digital exchange it is necessary to predetermine, for example by means of appropriate configuration data, which subscriber terminals are to be controlled by the exchange, which subscriber numbers are in each case assigned to said subscribers, and which telecommunications services are in each case made available to the subscriber terminals, amongst other things. Here the configuration data of such a subscriber terminal must comply with predefined rules. Thus for example a subscriber number of a subscriber terminal must contain only numerals and no letters and must consist of a given number of numerals. Furthermore, in general it is only possible to allocate a telecommunications service to a subscriber terminal when the subscriber number of said subscriber terminal belongs to a group of subscriber numbers provided for the telecommunications service in question. For example, services defined for an ISDN telecommunications network (Integrated Services Digital Network) can be set up in full only for an ISDN-functional subscriber terminal. Thus, even for one single subscriber terminal, the conditions to be adhered to in the creation of its configuration data are very extensive and complicated. However, as inter-relationships exist between individual subscriber terminals of an exchange in respect of-configuration data, for example because a plurality of subscriber terminals are connected to a common interface module, the conditions necessitated by the inter-relationships must also be adhered to in the creation of the configuration data. As the control software of a telecommunications system can operate correctly only if the predefined configuration data, with which it is provided as operating parameters, are correct and inherently consistent, the configuration data must be checked before being input into the telecommunications system. Such a process is referred to as validation.
As configuration data for a telecommunications system are generally very extensive and must fulfil complicated conditions, such configuration data are created using a configuration system suitable for configuration data of a particular telecommunications system or a particular type of such a telecommunications system. Then configuration data are acquired by a computer using an editor and, having been input, are checked in terms of their consistency, thus validated, using a program module known as xe2x80x9cvalidation modulexe2x80x9d. Only then are the configuration data written into a data bank and subsequently further processed into a state in which they can be loaded into a telecommunications system known as xe2x80x9ctarget systemxe2x80x9d. Both the editor and the program module used to validate the configuration data, as well as the validation rules contained in the validation module, canxe2x80x94as is generally the casexe2x80x94be specially provided and appropriately programmed for the configuration data to be processed.
To enable a validation program module or a configuration system to be adapted to different types and variants of a target system, the validation rules for validating the particular configuration data can also be filed in a separate set of validation rules which is read-in and evaluated by the validation module for the particular validation. A validation rule set of this kind is in each case suitable for a specific type of target system. It is then unnecessary to create a new validation program module suitable for new configuration data or to at least partially re-program and then re-compile an existing validation program module if a change occurs in the conditions to be fulfilled by the configuration data, for example because new control software of the target system requires configuration data in a different form or of a different scope. However, the creation of a new set of validation rules for a target system, evaluatable by the validation module, on the one hand is complicated and in some cases possible only using programming tools. On the other hand, errors can easily arise, which can be detected only by extensive testing of the new or modified validation rule set. For such a test, it is then necessary to start the validation module which, using a possibly provided error routine, can detect, and optionally display, errors contained in the validation rule set to be tested. The validation module can in fact perform a correct and complete validation only in the case of a validation rule set of error-free construction. On the one hand, such an error routine renders the validation module more complex in respect of its scope and functions, and on the other hand the running of the error routines in each validation processxe2x80x94even in the case of an error-free validation rule setxe2x80x94consumes costly operating time of the computer running the validation module. Another method of testing a validation rule set, which is both complex and difficult, consists in validating configuration data by means of this validation rule set and then analyzing the result of the validation.
The object of the invention is to provide for an efficient and error-free creation of a validation rule set with which a validation module can validate configuration data which can be used as operating parameters for telecommunications systems.
This object is achieved by a process for creating validation rules with which a validation module can validate configuration data which can be used as operating parameters for telecommunications systems, a generating module according to the technical theory of claim 5, a server according to the technical theory of claim 6, a control module according to the technical theory of claim 7, and a storage means according to the technical theory of claim 8. Further advantageous developments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and the description.
The invention is based on the principle of designing a generating module, a program module which can be run on a computer, such that the generating module can acquire validation rules written in a user-friendly language. These validation rules are in each case suitable to validate configuration data of a specific telecommunications system and are contained in a validation rule set. The generating module then checks whether the validation rules contained in the validation rule set comply with predefined, syntactic and semantic rules. Only if this is the case does the generating module translate the validation rules of the validation rule set from the user-friendly language into a second language which can be evaluated by a validation module and then make the thus generated validation rules available to the validation module for later evaluation. The validation rules then no longer need be created by a user in a complicated language which can be evaluated by the validation module, but can consist of simple, user-friendly language elements. Moreover, the validation module can evaluate the validation rules without further checking, as the generating module has already checked the validation rules for errors.
In a development of the invention, the generating module reads-in a language definition data file containing instructions for the evaluation of language elements of the first user-friendly language, such that, with the aid of these instructions, the generating module can check the validation rules in the user-friendly language in terms of syntax and semantics and translate them into the second language. In this way, the user-friendly language can be extended when necessary by new language elements without the need for the generating module itself to be recreated or modified for the processing of these new language elements. In a further development of the invention, from the validation rules in the user-friendly language, the generating module generates function blocks on the basis of which the validation module can check configuration data. The function blocks can consist for example of so-called macros, which can be interpreted for example by the validation module, or also so-called functions which can be linked by the validation module. The generating module can also add text modules to the validation rules in the language which can be evaluated by the validation module. With these text modules, in the validation of configuration data the validation module can then generate messages with which the validation module can inform the user of the successful outcome of the validation, or, in qualified manner, the unsuccessful outcome thereof.